Trails · North Park & Owl Mountain
Owl Mountain SWA Trail
A short, quiet dirt path into Colorado’s North Park sagebrush country, out where the light runs long and the wildlife has the last word.
Toggle Terrain / USGS Topo / Satellite / Street (top-right) · route © COTREX/CPW · tap a marker for waypoints
West over Cameron Pass, the tight timber of the Poudre high country opens into North Park — a broad, sage-and-grass basin ringed by peaks, where the wind carries farther and the sky feels twice as wide. The Owl Mountain SWA Trail is a short one, about a mile of dirt path threading a Colorado Parks & Wildlife State Wildlife Area near the foot of Owl Mountain. It’s a walker’s trail — hikers and leashed dogs only, no bikes, horses, or motors — and it rewards the kind of visit that’s more about watching and listening than covering ground.
One thing to know before you go, and we’ll be straight about it: this is a State Wildlife Area, not a park. CPW manages these lands first for wildlife, and to set foot on one you need a valid Colorado hunting or fishing license, or a stand-alone SWA pass — every adult in your group. COTREX also lists a seasonal access window here (roughly mid-August through the end of February), the sort of closure CPW uses to protect winter range and spring calving. Both of those can change, so confirm the current license rules and dates with Colorado Parks & Wildlife before you make the drive.
Trail Facts
Length
1.0 mi
Elevation
9,130 → 9,330 ft
Elevation Gain
+270 ft
Type
Trail
Uses
Hike
Bikes
Not allowed
Stock / Horse
Not allowed
Dogs
Allowed
Surface
Dirt
Manager
CPW State Wildlife Areas
Getting There
In North Park, west of Cameron Pass off CO-14, near Owl Mountain. This is a Colorado Parks & Wildlife State Wildlife Area — confirm the trailhead location, the current access dates, and the license/pass requirement on the CPW site before you go.
| 0.0 mi | Trailhead — Owl Mountain State Wildlife Area (license or SWA pass required) |
| 1.0 mi | Trail end |
Know Before You Go
- License required. This is a CPW State Wildlife Area — every adult needs a valid Colorado hunting or fishing license, or a stand-alone SWA pass, just to access it.
- Seasonal access. COTREX lists an access window of roughly Aug 15 – Feb 28; SWAs often close in spring to protect wildlife. Confirm the current dates with Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
- Foot travel only. Per COTREX this is a hike-only, dirt trail — no bikes, horses, or motorized use. Leashed dogs are allowed.
- Check current conditions. Rules, closures, and access can change season to season — verify with CPW before you head out over the pass.
Take the Trail With You
Load the route onto your phone's GPS app, or print the details for the glovebox.
Coming soon — the Red Feather Lakes Trail App: offline maps and live GPS for every local trail, right in your pocket.
Built by Many Hands — Give a Little Back
Love this guide? Wear it. Every hat, tee, and cozy layer in our Red Feather Lakes collection helps us keep mapping trails and keeping this guide free — mountain apparel designed right here in the high country, with more trail gear on the way.
Shop the Collection →These trails don't tend themselves either. Every mile is watched over by volunteers and public stewards we lean on to bring you this guide — if you love these mountains, please pitch in for them too:
- Poudre Wilderness Volunteers — trail patrols & the official trail description Donate →
- Colorado Parks & Wildlife / COTREX — the mapped trail route & statewide trail data Donate →
- Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest (USFS) — the public land itself Support →
- OpenStreetMap contributors — the Street basemap Donate →
- Google & USGS — trailhead location, ratings & topographic maps
Trail details compiled by the Red Feather Lakes Travel Guide from the sources above. Photography by us — more of our own trail images coming as we hike them.